The Blood of a Hero
by Xbro Kong
Summary: Link, a man that single-handedly stopped a raid on castle town eighteen years ago. Now his son Cecil must go through his trials to overcome a challenge of the same status. Story collaboration with a few other writers. Rate and Review! Rated T to be safe.


Hello everybody. I think I'll be uploading this story right about now. I have a few chapters written, but I won't post much until the entire story is done. This is a collaboration with a few other writers. I will post some links in my profile.

The story is in the perspective of Link's child Cecil. The story summary should tell you what you need to know up til this point, so if you haven't read that, I suggest you do so.

Review, Favorite, Follow, and I will try to finish the story quickly for a weekly release.

Any criticism is greatly appreciated, if I make any edits, they should appear on the story once I have them ready, so if I add anything important, I'll be sure to let all of you know.

Enjoy!

* * *

**_Prologue_**

_Where am I?_

_Who am I?_

_What am I?_

_I can't…remember… My head...it hurts… why? _

_What happened to me? Why am I here? Wha— are these _bars_? What are they doing here?_

_I'm… what is my name? Cecil? Yes… my name is Cecil, son of Link and Aysel… they went... somewhere. I can't remember… it hurts to think._

_Told me… to go to Castle Town… but why…?_

_Something… something's happened… I don't know…_

_Where am I…?_

_XXX_

**_Chapter 1_**

All I see is darkness. Not a glimmer of light can be seen…

My hand rests on the cold, iron bars to my side as I stare out, trying to comprehend what is happening, straining my eyes against the cold, damp blackness. What is this place? Where in Hyrule I am? Is it even Hyrule?

Memories… So many memories rushing through my head, pounding at every side of my temple…

I can't focus. One moment I see my home and the next I see some sort of wizard in the market... I can't focus, but I know what I need to do.

I better clear my head so I can try to find the first memory. Maybe I can start from there…

* * *

I stood near the door waiting for further instructions. "The local market is out of bread, you may need to go to the Castle Town market to find some." I nod at my mother in response.

"Cecil, make sure you heed my words." My father told me sternly while I made sure that I kept my whining down. My father was leaving with my mother, Aysel, and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. I always feel lonely without my father here, always have. Nobody else really really shared the same interest as me… nobody understood me. My sisters had mom and they had each other; sharing the same interests and always playing together. And Mother? Well she was always busy, keeping the house, and our family, in order. I was alone except for my father.

"Listen to me son," my father said kindly, "I think it's time you learned responsibility. While your mother and I are fulfilling our own, you are to do your duty to the family. You have to make sure that nobody gets hurt. That burden now lies upon your shoulders. Do you understand?"

"Y-yeah…" I stammer, barely able to talk straight. It's getting difficult to hold my composure intact. Of course I don't understand… not completely! I'm only sixteen!

"Good. I can't promise it'll be easy, Cecil. Your mother is likely going to need you to help support the family, but you should know that much by now. I'm getting at a different line of responsibility… More along the lines of... protection…" my father said, an anxious, far away look clouding his icy-blue eyes.

"Protection?" I asked him nervously.

"Yes, protection. Things around Hyrule aren't as peaceful as they were when you were just a lad. In the past year, a foul wind surfaced that no one thought possible… Do you know what that means for you, Cecil?"

"That… that I have to protect the family from whatever the cause is?"

"That's right. I'm not going to be around for a while, which means you're going to have to step up" he said to me, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder. "And Cecil? I'm proud of you son."

XXX

The trip to Castle Town didn't take as long as I expected. It wasn't that far. I can make the trip and only take two hours if everything goes right.

I arrive near the gate at a slow trot on my father's horse. I'm glad I wore my usual attire. It's hot outside this time of year. Short sleeves and hosens in light fabric… all decked out in red. And, of course, a matching red earring.

Usually I only come to the castle on special occasions with my father. I'm not quite sure how it is going to feel being here alone this time.

My father was a hero. He saved the King during a raid eighteen years ago, and the King has personally taken care of our family since. We're always welcome in the castle, although it was usually just me and my father who visited. My mother, now that I think of it, seems to be afraid of the castle for some strange reason.

You know, I've never really thought about it. Maybe something happened when she was a child? Maybe she got lost in the castle once,or maybe the guards frightened her. Something could have happened…

I'm too lost in my thoughts to notice something going horribly wrong. I come to a halt as I see people running in every direction… away from the gate. Confused, I hear some townspeople screaming from within the town. What could be going on?

A burly man came running past me full speed. He bellowed to everybody: "RUN! THEY'RE WIZZROBES!"

_Wizzrobes? What are 'wizzrobes'? _I ask myself

"AVOID THE BLASTS! THEY KILL ON CONTACT! ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING THEY TOUCH IS DESTROYED!"

Well, that's a turn for the worst; something I did not prepare for. I have to turn back or they'll kill me… But if I do that, my sisters and I are going to starve to death. We don't have any food besides half a container of milk.

"AHHH!"

I can hear people screaming and shouting everywhere. The wizzrobes are appearing over the gate… I turn to run, despite the fact that I have no food to return with…

Just then, a searing pain hits my chest and a wave of light bursts from my body. Everything begins to fade… All of the people I saw running, the people I don't know, people that are falling over, dead… They disappeared in an instant... My vision went blank. For a moment I saw darkness. Then… I know nothing...

XXX

_Am I dead? _

_Am I alive? _

_The infinite darkness engulfs my body… In any given direction, there is nothing. Nothing, save the empty silence…_

_For a moment, I wonder if this is what it feels like to be dead. Just floating… waiting in the nothingness for some inevitable happening… A happening that never comes… until…_

Click.

_What was that? It sounded like it came… from behind me? _

_I whirl around as quickly as I could manage in this vacuüm, expecting to see something other than darkness… but what did I expect other than this eternal gloom? _

_I see a flickering shadow… A small glimmer of light expands, casting its soft light upon a more humanoid figure, finally showing me…_

"_Mom?!" _

"Hey kid!" a voice says, waking me with a start. I cry out and cover my ear from the burning pain that hits. Gripping my ear ring as tightly as I can, I pause, gasping for a moment, while taking a look at my surroundings.

Bars, _check_ a shabby bed_ check_, and… not total darkness finally. It must be morning….well...I think it is, anyway.

The only real difference between now and before is that there is a trickle of light spilling into the cell, giving me a bit light. Oh, and that guy on the outside of my cell…

I tense up, seeing him there, staring at me. He can't be much older than me... maybe around eighteen years old. He's wearing a green tunic, intricate designs embroidered into it, probably more for fashion than anything else. It looks like one of the old tunics Dad used to wear when he went hunting… only this one doesn't have a matching hat.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not your enemy. Apparently, I'm here to break you out of this place" he says, rattling one of the bars to the cell. He turns his pick one last time before the door creaks open.

I stand up to meet his face. His eyes are blue...but extremely bloodshot. He just stands there, studying me with narrowed eyes. "I-I'm," I start, "I'm not sure what yo—"

"You look incredibly familiar," he interrupts, "is your name Link?"

I raise a brow at him.

"My name is Cecil; Link is my father." I say coolly, slightly annoyed at his interruption.

"Oh...right. That makes sense." He stares at me for a second, still studying me, no doubt trying to find every resemblance to anybody he knows in my face. "So… if Link's your father… your mother must be…?" he asks, resting his chin on his palm.

"What's it to you?" I snap, narrowing my eyes at him furiously

His eyes widen as he raises his eyebrows, a crooked smile creeping across his face. "What temper" he grinned. "You know… I _did_ break you out of that cell you seemed to be trapped in. I assumed you would at least be willing to share _some_ information with me." My cheeks flush after hearing this. Am I always this rude?

"Sorry." I apologize quickly, shaking my head. "My mother's name is Aysel."

He frowns for a second. "Link and Aysel? That's a first. How interesting."

"What?" I demand.

"Oh, nothing. Don't mind me, I'm just rambling to myself." He quietly gestures me to follow him out of the dungeons. "Okay then, now that we've been introduced," he says —I blink at him in surprise... I still don't know his name—. "Why don't you tell me how you got into that cell in the first place?" He drags my arm around the corner, slipping through the shadows of the labyrinth.

"I'm not sure" I say between breaths as we start at a slow jog, "Last thing I remember is getting hit by a wizzrobe."

I come to an abrupt stop. Wait….don't wizzrobes kill instantly?

The young man, stopped a few feet in front of me, pays no mind; he just seems to be thinking about it. He suddenly points to my ear. "That's an interesting earring you have there," he says after a moment. I stare at him, surprised by the sudden change of subject.

"How...does that help?" I manage through rough breaths. He takes a step closer to me.

"It seems to have magical capabilities. Perhaps that is why you were knocked out instead of killed." My eyes widen at his bluntness.

Wow, this guy does not like to beat around the bush. He reminds me of someone else I know. We stand for another moment as an awkward silence descends.

"Hmm," he said as he examined the jewel, "there should be more like this wouldn't happen to know about them would you?"

How does he know about my earring? Nobody outside our family is supposed to know about these.

"Yes…" I tell him slowly, "there are two with my sisters. Why do you ask?" He looks ready to respond, but quickly glances over his shoulder at his sword.

"Damn," he says, turning back to me. "I can't stay here much longer." His eyes narrow into a serious expression. "I need you to do a few things." He looks at me expectantly. I nod. "First things first: I need you to get a tunic, much like your father's - use his if you need to." He pauses for a moment to consider his next words "After that, I need you to get the other two earrings from your sisters. Take them to the temple nearest to the castle. You know which one, right?" I give a quick nod "Good. What lies there will do you the most good on your journey."

My eyes widen suddenly. "Journey?" He nods. Is it like my father's old adventures?

"Yes. I need you to stop whatever is going on in Hyrule right now." He pauses for a moment, then:

"You do know how to use a sword don't you?"

"Y-yeah, my father taught me a lot," I stammer.

"Good, there should be swords and shields along the walls somewhere around here..." he mentions as he gestures toward the wall and I check the equipment carefully, trying to squint through the shadows. The windows are covered with heavy drapes, making the corridor extremely dim.

"I'm out of time now, but I will try to help you along your journey, if possible. I'm recovering from a wound of my own, so don't expect much." He slowly backs up into the shadows, edging along the wall until he is no longer seen nor heard.

Well, that was… interesting. Perhaps I can be more like my father after all this ordeal is through. That is what I've always wanted, isn't it?

I find myself a sharp saber and what appeared to be a resilient Hylian Shield further down the hall just as promised. Okay, now I just need to get me a tunic from the house. Dad has some that I can use. They might be a little shabby, but I can just have Kristen stitch one up for me.

I stumble forward slightly while still keeping to the route.

Oh, no… my sisters! I'd completely forgotten about them! I was supposed to get bread and be back in a few hours...What am I supposed to—

I shield my eyes as a blinding light hits me.

Ouch, I should have watched where I was going.

Clinging desperately to the walls for support, I slowly turn to face the source of the light. I seem to be in a great hall of sorts. There are chairs lining the walls, marble pillars all around decorated beautifully; an impressive sight despite the circumstances. The windows here don't have drapes hanging over them, which explains the sudden shift in light.

"So" —I jump, startled at the deep voice to my left— "you're the kid who survived the wizzrobe blast?"

* * *

Alright everybody. You know what to do. Criticism, praise, anything is welcome. I want a lot of criticism to better this story, so don't hold back.


End file.
